100 Interesting Facts About Germany

There is just so much to learn about Germany, it’s impossible to learn it all! So instead, here are some historical interesting facts about Germany you might not have known!

Whether you’re looking for historical facts about Germany or simply fun facts about Germany, I’ve collected and put together a list of random facts about Germany that I thought were quite interesting and fun!

1. Germans are the second biggest beer consumers in the world after the Czechs!

2. Therefore, I need to mention that in Bavaria, beer is considered food.

3. The youngest billionaire in Germany is the German Prince Albert II von Thurn und Taxis right here in Regensburg!

4. At the moment, the strongest economy in Europe is Germany’s.

5. There are 1,300 breweries in Germany with over 5,000 different variations of beer.

6. During WWI, Germany was the first country to start using Daylight Savings

7. Apparently, Germany was one of the last countries to ban smoking indoors in restaurants and the workplace because government officials were afraid to imitate Nazi officials who looked down upon smoking.

15. The first book to ever be printed was the Bible by Johannes Gutenberg in the 1450s and you can see it in Mainz, Germany

16. The longest word published in the German language is Donaudampfschifffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft (79 letters) which translates to something like “Danube steamboat shipping electricity main engine facility building sub clerk association”

17. In case you didn’t know, the Berlin Wall fell in 1989

18. The last Olympic games to be held in Germany was in Munich 1972 where the Israeli team was held hostage and then killed by terrorists

19. When JFK visited Berlin, he famously stated “Ich bin ein Berliner” which also translates to “I am a jelly donut” even though that’s not what was interpreted. Berliners knew he meant he was one of them.

20. Germans are the third most efficient country in the world to recycle after Switzerland and Austria

21. Germany has had multiple capitals – Aachen 794, Regensburg (seat of the Immerwaehrender Reichstag) from 1663-1803, Frankfurt-am-Main (site of the election & coronation of German emperors) 1152-1792, Nuremberg (seat of the Imperial Diet) 1536-1543, Berlin from 1871-1945 and again from 1990 to present and Bonn from 1949-1990.

32. In the 4th grade, German kids are placed into Hauptschule, Realschule or Gymnasium, which determines if you will go to university or straight to the work force. Gymnasium is the highest level which leads to university.

33. The cuckoo clock was invented in the 17th century

34. The founders of Adidias and Puma are brothers

35. The Deutscher Fußball-Bund was found in 1900 in Leipzig

36. The most successful football team is Bayern Munich

37. Germany has more soccer clubs than anywhere else in the world

38. Angela Merkel, Germany’s Chancellor, has a Barbie doll modeled after her

39. The word Rindfleischetikettierungsueberwachungsaufgabenuebertragungsgesetz (law delegating beef label monitoring) was removed from the German language in 2014

40. Germany was once a cluster of small kingdoms, duchies and principalities which were unified as the kingdom of Prussia in 1871 which later became the Weimer Republic, then the Third Reich and in 1949 the nation divided into the Soviet-supported East Germany (German Democratic Republic) and the democratic West Germany (Federal Republic of Germany). On October 3rd 1990, East and West were reunited, finally forming the country of Germany we know today

41. Germany is the 5th largest country in Europe after Ukraine, France, Sweden and Spain

42. Angela Merkel was ranked as the world’s second most powerful person

43. Many apartments come without a kitchen and you must buy and install a kitchen which fits, that can be taken apart and taken with you when you move

44. On the border between Germany and Austria, there is a town called Fucking (pronounced Fooking)

45. The world’s oldest monastery brewery is the Weltenburg Abbey founded in 1040 not far from Regensburg

56. King Ludwig II is said to have lost his senses and was found in Starnbergersee with his doctor, drowned.

57. Supposedly, Germany has fake bus stops for people who escape from nursing homes who suffer from Alzheimer’s because they tend to wander to the nearest bus stop so they can go home. When nurses find them, they let them know the bus will be late and have them sit inside. Soon the incident is forgotten

58. The bride is often “kidnapped” by friends before the wedding and the groom must hunt for her as she is taken to different taverns and the groom must buy drinks for his friends.

59. In 1516, a German Beer Purity Law (Reinheitsgebot) was passed which only allowed water, hops and barley in the beer. Later, with the discovery of yeast, it was incorporated into the law.

60. Germany is nicknamed the “Land of Poets & Thinkers”

61. In a pub, you order another beer with your thumb, not your index finger.

62. The world’s first airline was founded on in 1909, in Frankfurt. It is called DELAG, expanding as Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft which translates to German Airship Transport Corporation

63. Lufthansa is the largest airline in the world.

64. German is the official language in 5 countries: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein

65. Germany has the largest population in Europe with 81 million people

66. There is no punishment for someone who escapes from jail because it is a basic human instinct to be free

67. It is illegal to run out of fuel in on the Autobahn

68. Hamburgers got its name from the city of Hamburg, Germany

69. Germany abolished college tuition fees in 2014, even for international students

70. An average of 15 bombs, or 5,500 bombs per year are found in Germany left over from WWII.

71. Fanta originated in Germany during WWII since it was difficult to import Coca-Cola.

72. Chinese Checkers was invented in Germany in 1892 and was called “Stern-Halma”

100. Many people pass out from drinking too much beer at Oktoberfest and are called “Bierleichen” or beer corpses.

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Hope you found these 100 facts about Germany to either be entertaining or helpful! If you have some rare facts about Germany and would love to share them, I would love to hear them! Nonetheless, if you’re thinking about moving to Germany, these are some facts you should know before you get here! You never know when you just might need to pull out some useless facts about Germany!

If you’re interested in visiting Germany and are looking for more information, I highly recommend using the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide! Without these guides, I would be lost! This is my travel Bible!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase, I might make a little extra spending money, at no extra cost to you. As always, all opinions are my own and these products/services have been found useful during our travels and come highly recommended to you from yours truly!

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Hi there! Guten Tag! My name is Lorelei, aka Lady Lolo, I’m an American expat living in Germany with a serious addiction to adorable half-timbered houses, fairy tale towns and castles. I may have an unwritten rule with my husband that at least once a month, we have to explore somewhere new to satisfy my restless feet syndrome!

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